Alex Schober

As we all know, snow and cold are a good combination. After all, that's what we live for here at PowderGuide. The feeling in your feet is a completely different story: Wetness (snow) and cold don't mix particularly well. Thankfully, various manufacturers have come up with a remedy. Introducing: Our lined wellies!

ISPO, an interesting but also very exhausting trade fair, has been postponed from January to autumn. However, we at PowderGuide are still doing our best to provide you with information about the material for the upcoming season.

For many of us, the months of March, April and May are a real blessing when it comes to skiing and ski touring: the days are getting longer, the conditions are often safer - the time has come for extended, challenging undertakings. And you could see that in the numerous and impressive CRs of recent years. This season is different...

Many manufacturers are endeavouring to conquer the fine line between downhill and uphill performance, be it in the textile sector or with classic hardwear such as skis, bindings or ski boots. Today, we would like to introduce you to a special piece of equipment that has been developed as a result of this endeavour in our test report: The Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro. The ski boot impresses with its low weight, high walking comfort and also cuts a fine figure downhill.

The striking and beautifully shaped Rosskogel to the west of Innsbruck catches the eye again and again on the approach through the Inntal valley. In the right conditions, this ski tour not only offers a magnificent view and an appealing, alpine ascent, but also a spectacular descent through the north-east facing Rosskogel gully.

Livigno, a duty-free municipality in the Italian province of Sondrio in Lombardy with an altitude of 1,816m. With the surrounding mountains towering more than 1,000m above the charming little town, Livigno is not just a paradise for winter sports enthusiasts on paper. We were there in spring as part of a press trip to check out the winter sports on offer in the Italian valley and quickly fell in love with this unique region.

After a lot of tinkering and numerous optimizations last season, our PowderMap now enables the display of ConditionsReports simultaneously with new snow or sunshine forecasts, as well as the SNOWGRID Layover. Reason enough to name it our Gear of the Week!

The Canadian manufacturer Arc'teryx has been impressing the European market for many years now with its high-quality outdoor equipment, which shines with high-quality materials and excellent workmanship. With the further development of the Sabre Jacket, the likeable Canadians once again deliver an all-rounder with "one for all" potential. We tested the jacket extensively for you last season.

Most outdoor sports enthusiasts are familiar with the company "La Sportiva". The Italians have become an integral part of climbing equipment in particular. However, the company also supplies well thought-out products for skiing. For example, the Zagros GTX Pant M, which is not only suitable for ski touring, but is also ideal for everyday use as rain trousers.

In the field of avalanche safety, ISPO 2019 was rather restrained in terms of major innovations. Some manufacturers revised existing products, changed minor details or added individual models to the existing product range. Spectacular innovations were largely absent (again this year).

The pressure to innovate and the high demand in the avalanche backpack sector have led to constant improvements, expansions and innovations over the years: lighter, cheaper, more user-friendly, more stylish - the numerous manufacturers are working hard and delivering ever more sophisticated systems. In close collaboration with Alpride, Scott developed the E1 Patrol AP 30, which raises the bar in the field of electronic airbags.

With the Integrated Avalanche System from Advenate, another innovative product in the avalanche backpack sector is coming onto the market for the 2018/2019 winter season. The principle behind the Advenate system: In addition to an airbag function, the IAS also has a breathing system, which is designed to increase survival time under the snowpack in the event of a burial. We have already spent some time on the mountain with the Surface IAS 32 and had a first look at it.